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As the Iranian people endure crushing inflation, deepening poverty, and economic collapse, yet another scandal has erupted from within the ranks of the Iranian regime—this time over the secretive distribution of thousands of high-value gift cards to regime insiders. Each card, reportedly worth over 100 million tomans, represents a grotesque symbol of excess amid nationwide destitution.
The controversy was brought to light by Hossein Samsami, a member of the regime’s parliament Economic Commission, who sent a formal letter to the regime’s Minister of Intelligence demanding a full investigation. According to Samsami, at least 2,800 gift cards—totaling an estimated 14 billion tomans—were distributed through opaque channels in what he referred to as “non-cash gifts.”
While staggering in size, the sum is hardly unprecedented in a regime plagued by systemic corruption. Yet the public outrage this particular scandal has triggered speaks to a breaking point.
Delving into Iran’s #Corruption Chronicles – Part 1https://t.co/3uRDWFAqxD
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 21, 2023
Who Authorized the Windfall—and Why?
In his letter, Samsami posed several urgent questions: Who authorized this lavish giveaway? Who received these gift cards? What purpose did they serve? And most crucially—who paid for them? He acknowledged that the full scale of the scandal is still unknown but warned that the serialized numbering of the cards suggests that 2,800 may only be “the tip of the iceberg.”
Samsami also asked the Ministry of Intelligence to scrutinize other “non-cash items” included in the same gift packages and trace their funding sources. Such language hints at a much broader pattern of financial abuse, not limited to gift cards alone.
Despite his vocal call for accountability, Samsami fell short of naming names or identifying the government institutions involved. While denying that members of parliament received the cards, he declined to clarify further, casting doubt on his commitment to genuine transparency. He even admitted the issue was “not part of the Economic Commission’s agenda,” and that he took it up only after being contacted by the CEO of an unnamed company.
Leaked Documents Expose #Iranian MPs’ Lucrative Salaries Amidst #Economic Hardshiphttps://t.co/5g9znjbBTk
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 16, 2024
Social Media Reacts with Fury
The revelation ignited a firestorm on Iranian social media, particularly on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Thousands of users expressed rage over what they see as yet another example of institutionalized corruption. One user wrote: “2,800 gift cards worth 14 billion tomans! This money has gone from the pockets of the people and into the pockets of the managers.” Another noted: “When hospitals can’t afford medicine and workers haven’t been paid for months, this is what the regime is doing with our money.”
These reactions underscore the widening chasm between the people and the regime, intensified by years of economic mismanagement, social repression, and unrelenting inflation. Yet, regime institutions and the potential recipients of these cards have remained conspicuously silent—silence that many interpret as further confirmation of systemic rot.
#Iran’s Missing Billions: Fuel, Medicine #Scandals Reveal Depths of Regime’s Corruptionhttps://t.co/B9cKtJzfQy
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 12, 2025
The scandal has revived critical debates about the blurred lines between “gifts” and “bribes” in the political culture of the Iranian regime. Experts have repeatedly warned that even legally sanctioned gift-giving—especially on this scale—can serve as a mechanism to purchase loyalty or influence policymaking. In a country where independent oversight is nonexistent and financial transparency is deliberately obstructed, such practices are not merely unethical—they are corrosive to the state’s very legitimacy.
A Glimpse Into Routine Elite Enrichment
This scandal follows on the heels of a past bombshell revelation about the widespread corruption in the regime’s parliament. Previously, on February 13, 2024, the dissident cyber group GhiamSarnegouni (“Rise to Overthrow”) announced it had breached and accessed over 600 servers belonging to the Iranian regime’s parliament. It released damning documents exposing the extravagant salaries and perks enjoyed by members of the parliament.
According to the leaked files, some regime parliamentarians receive monthly salaries between 200 to 250 million tomans, far exceeding the regime’s public claims. They also enjoy bonuses during religious holidays and events like Nowruz (Persian New Year), Yalda Night (winter solstice), Parliament Day, and Employee Day—complete with snacks, gifts, and additional financial allowances.
#IranProtests Escalate Amid Economic Hardship, Corruption, and Government Neglecthttps://t.co/dWOLORcuMu
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 1, 2025
One of the documents, analyzed by the state-run Rouydad24, confirmed that the IBAN numbers listed in the breach matched actual parliament members. The highest monthly salary was recorded at nearly 265 million tomans, paid to members of the Energy and Economic Commissions. Furthermore, other perks included costs for birthday parties, hospital visits, flowers, funerals, travel, books, and even summer vacations—all paid from the national treasury.
The Parliament Public Relations Office responded weakly, alleging that the hackers “tampered with” some of the documents. Yet the evidence of extravagant spending amidst national austerity is too glaring to ignore.
A Nation Starving While Its Rulers Feast
These revelations come as over 60% of Iranians live under the poverty line, with many unable to afford basic necessities, let alone healthcare. Teachers, laborers, and retirees wait months for wages, while the regime’s elites spend public funds on sweets, flowers, and gift cards.
State media has tried to contain the fallout by broadcasting interviews with supposed “ordinary citizens” expressing discontent. Yet such controlled outrage does little to stem the growing tide of real anger sweeping the nation.
Delving into #Iran’s Corruption Chronicles – Part 2https://t.co/tsEiBgzb3m
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 20, 2023
No Reform Without Regime Change
The case of the 2,800 gift cards is not an isolated scandal—it is a reflection of a deeply entrenched system of theft, impunity, and elite privilege. In any functioning democracy, such revelations would spark resignations, investigations, and legal accountability. In the Iranian regime, they lead only to denials, distractions, and internal power plays masked as reforms.
Until the root of the problem—the regime itself—is confronted, the cycle will persist. Corruption in the regime is not a bug; it is a feature. And the Iranian people, betrayed time and again, will continue to suffer under its weight.
Yet with every exposure, the regime’s mask slips further. And with every new scandal, the call for justice—and for genuine change—grows louder.